“If anyone dies, the responsibility will rest with Szymon Hołownia and Donald Tusk. Donald Tusk helped create this situation by staying silent for five months while Hołownia led a full anti-abortion campaign, characterized by deception, manipulation, and power abuse,” stated Marta Lempart, head of the Women’s Strike, to reporters. Activists from Women’s Strike and the Abortion Dream Team reported being barred from the parliamentary gallery as they sought to observe four bills in the Sejm aimed at liberalizing abortion rules.
Today the Sejm begins examining four proposals to liberalize abortion regulations. Two come from the Left, one from the Civic Coalition, and another from Third Way, which includes PSL and Polska 2050.
READ ALSO: REPORT. The Sejm debates abortion. Four accounts. Women’s Strike activists were denied entry to the parliamentary gallery
“Hołownia decided we were not allowed in.”
Marta Lempart told reporters at a Sejm press conference that “almost the entire Women’s Strike and members of the Abortion Dream Team and the East Initiative were barred from entering the Sejm Gallery while abortion-related debates were underway.”
Passes were issued, but gallery access was not granted. Lempart described forty people from across Poland who chose to stay out of the stands and listen from outside because Hołownia had decided they could not observe the proceedings.
— she said at a gathering of Women’s Strike and Abortion Dream Team activists.
Earlier, during a Left Club press briefing, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, minister of family, labor, and social policy, urged Sejm President Hołownia to permit public participation in Thursday’s debate on abortion bills.
“We are calling for the gallery to be opened,” she added.
“Today we face a crucial debate that women have awaited for thirty years,” she continued. “We want substance. We do not want to debate whether abortion is good or bad. We want to acknowledge the existence of abortion. Every day a woman needs access to it. Does it mean that half of Polish society in the 21st century must weigh this issue?”
At the Left conference, Abortion Dream Team members displayed a symbolic receipt stating that “Poland has saved nearly 50 million PLN on abortion over 18 years, money spent by organizations that facilitate abortion.” The receipt, labeled with the slogan “Poland’s abortion debt,” proposed the amount the Polish state ought to repay to organizations assisting with abortion. The voucher, presented on a large plate, was carried into the Sejm by Left MPs for photos with pro-abortion activists.
Board caption: “Poland’s abortion debt” / author: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Abortion was, is, and will be part of Polish life; the demand is for safe abortion access globally and consistently.
Seating for 80 attendees
The Sejm chairman’s spokesperson, Katarzyna Karpa-Łwiderek, told PAP that the gallery holds a limited number of seats. All 80 Left Club nominees entered the Sejm, and 30 of them would also access the gallery.
“The gallery should accommodate guests from the Left and from other parliamentary clubs,” she stressed. She added that Lewica secured more seats in the stands than other clubs and noted that 37 guided tours scheduled for today also required gallery access.
Is Hołownia “afraid of women?”
Marta Lempart did not mince words at the press conference, criticizing both the Marshal and the Prime Minister. The latter has recently signaled a notable leftward shift in rhetoric.
According to Lempart, Hołownia’s actions show a fear of women. She displayed a letter she claimed was issued by the former marshal’s guard during the PiS era, which barred her from entering the Sejm. She argued that Hołownia’s ban on viewing the gallery was evidence of his discomfort with demonstrations of support for legalized abortion.
“Mr. Hołownia seems to fear women,” Lempart asserted. Activists from the Wschód Initiative questioned why Hołownia labeled the inspection as a problem and whether his conduct would reverse once the debate moved forward. Lempart stated that there would be no attempts to enter the gallery by force unless a legitimate route existed.
One participant added that Hołownia appears to be afraid of women. The exchange continued as activists pressed for accountability over the prolonged delay in registering abortion projects, criticizing the alliance with the Confederation and the overall handling of the issue.
“Donald Tusk also created this monster”
Several questions addressed what would happen if a woman died because a bill failed to pass due to lack of access. Lempart expressed strong faith in the work of Minister Leszczyna, who she believes is fighting hard to compensate for other coalition partners’ shortfalls.
“If tragedy happens, it will fall to Hołownia and Tusk. Tusk allowed this situation to fester by staying quiet for months while Hołownia led the anti-abortion campaign and misused power,” Lempart claimed.
“If any disaster occurs, it will be on their heads, and I wonder what more Mr. Hołownia could do to spur a response from Donald Tusk as president of the Sejm. He does not seem fit for the role,” she concluded.
Lempart attended the Sejm wearing a ban on entry, underscoring the protest against the gallery restriction. Her message to supporters was clear: the responsibility for any harm lies with Hołownia and Tusk due to inaction on the issue of abortion access.
Four abortion projects
The Left has advanced two measures related to abortion, one partially decriminalizing abortion and the other permitting the procedure through the 12th week. A Civic Coalition proposal would recognize abortion care as a health service during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.
A Third Way proposal seeks to amend the Law on Family Planning and Protection of the Human Fetus to counter the 2020 Constitutional Court ruling. Pro-life groups have organized a protest with a bell titled the Bell of the Unborn, placed in front of the Sejm with Pope Francis’s endorsement. Passers-by can ring the bell, and parliamentarians have utilized this moment to speak out.
READ MORE: Pro-life circles oppose the abortion bills. The Bell of the Unborn in front of the Sejm and related marches in Warsaw [CITATION: political press coverage]
The reporting suggests the December 13 coalition might be trying to shift focus from issues not yet resolved by centering ideological topics like abortion, in vitro fertilization, and civil partnerships. Today, the parliamentary majority appears to be contending with internal disagreements, highlighting the very life questions that affect Poles across demographics including women, men, students, seniors, parents, and farmers.
aja/PAP, X
Note: This summary reflects ongoing parliamentary discussions and public statements made during the proceedings in Poland.
— End of report — [Attribution: wPolityce]